Based on the summary alone, it should have been a good set-up for a hurt/comfort story. Unfortunately, for me, it falls short, and I can only think of it as an ‘okay-so-so’ story instead. I do wonder if it’s probably due to the length – it only has 17,000 words (in my Kindle, it’s translated into about 50+ pages). I think if it’s expanded into at least novella length, it will be able to dig deeper into Aidan’s journey to healing while building new relationship with Kris.
Because it is short, it lacks that ‘punch’ that can make me feel connected enough to care for Aidan. Yes, the portrayal of his PTSD is good – his paranoia, his sudden freeze when facing violent event, his nightmares – but from that to being ready to open up to his therapist and accepted another assignment because he has Kris in his life, well, it’s a bit too fast for my liking. I am also not very much convinced that Aidan is truly ready for Kris.
I also wonder if Kris’s feeling for Aidan is because he is really interested or because he sees Aidan as someone to rescue. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think Kris is good for Aidan – he is stable, he has experience dealing with PTSD since his brother also suffers from it – but again, maybe because it’s too short. Since Kris’s brother also suffers from PTSD, does that what drawn Kris to Aidan?
It doesn’t help that their friendship is sometimes explained in sentences like.... They spent a few minutes talking about classic mysteries ... The conversation turned to movies made from books and which ones they thought were awful.... They spent the next couple of hours watching the game and talking. A lot of it was sports, but it did stray to travel a few times.... I guess I missed the sense of them really enjoying each other’s company since what they do together is summarized like that.
Oh, and also, there is this one scene that I just feel weird and coming out of nowhere – how the government ready to bribe Kris to find out what Aidan’s been talking about with him, regarding his time in Bahrain. It’s a bit too much, no? It’s not a spy story…
So all in all, it’s a good theme, but personally, I’m not feeling it. Of course, if you are a huge fan of hurt/comfort theme, it might still be a good read for you.